Cancer

“There are very few specific or targeted inhibitors that are used in the treatment of brain cancer. There’s really a dire need for new therapies and new ideas,” says MIT Associate Professor Michael Hemann. The background of this image shows nanoparticles (red) being taken up in the brain with glioblastoma (in green). Nuclear DNA is in blue; tumor-associated macrophages in white.

Biologists identify possible new strategy for halting brain tumors

Cutting off a process that cancerous cells rely on can force them to stop growing.

September 28, 2017

$“If we want to be able to deliver mRNA, then we need a mechanism to be more effective at it because everything that’s been used so far gives you a very small fraction of what would be the optimal efficiency,” says professor Paula Hammond.$

Bio-inspired approach to RNA delivery

New technique could make it easier to use mRNA to treat disease or deliver vaccines.

September 19, 2017

MIT engineers have devised a way to assess a cell’s mechanical properties simply by observation. The researchers use standard confocal microscopy to zero in on the constant, jiggling motions of a cell’s particles.

Fast, noninvasive technique for probing cells may reveal disease

Researchers gauge a cell’s stiffness, which can reflect cancer or other conditions, simply by watching it.

August 3, 2017

A new technique for imaging biopsy samples relies on an approach known as expansion microscopy, in which the researchers expand a tissue sample to 100 times its original volume before imaging it.

Microscopy technique could enable more informative biopsies

Expanding tissue samples before imaging offers detailed information about disease.

July 17, 2017

Researchers have developed a metal-free contrast agent for MRI scans, which could be safer for certain patients.

Metal-free MRI contrast agent could be safer for some patients

New agent could be used for certain high-risk groups and may enable longer-term tumor imaging.

July 12, 2017

The Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine’s faculty is made up of Koch Institute members who are committed to fighting cancer with nanomedicine through research, education, and collaboration. Top row (l-r) Sangeeta Bhatia, director; Daniel Anderson; and Angela Belcher. Bottom row: Paula Hammond; Darrell Irvine; and Robert Langer.

Converging on cancer at the nanoscale

Marking its first anniversary, the Koch Institute’s Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine goes full steam ahead.

July 7, 2017

Chromosome segregation errors lead to abnormal karyotypes, a condition known as aneuploidy. Shown here is a cell undergoing cell division and experiencing chromosome mis-segregation.

How cells combat chromosome imbalance

Biologists discover the immune system can eliminate cells with too many or too few chromosomes.

June 19, 2017

MIT researchers are working on an implantable device that could make intraperitoneal chemotherapy more bearable. “As we entered into this project, our question was how do we get the same beneficial outcomes and reduce all the side effects?” says professor Michael Cima. Pictured is a micrograph of ovarian cancer.

Study offers guidance for targeting residual ovarian tumors

Findings support new strategy of continuous drug delivery by implantable device.

May 23, 2017

MIT researchers have found that lung tumors such as this one contain stem-cell-like cells that drive tumor aggression. In this image, those cells are tagged with a green fluorescent protein.

Biologists identify key step in lung cancer evolution

Blocking the transition to a more aggressive state could offer a new treatment strategy.

May 10, 2017

“I decided to come to MIT because it was the best place to do engineering, and I eventually settled on materials science, because I felt like it was really applicable to all sorts of fields, including medicine," MIT senior Tiffany Yeh says.

Engineer, pianist, global citizen

Senior Tiffany Yeh explores health care and poverty through working abroad, and cultivates her love of music while at home.

May 4, 2017

MIT researchers created this colon tumor by delivering RNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles to the colon. The RNA can activate or delete specific genes, leading to tumor growth.

New model could speed up colon cancer research

Introducing genetic mutations with CRISPR offers a fast and accurate way to simulate the disease.

May 1, 2017

Hadley Sikes, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, is one of an increasing number of MIT faculty members who do what might best be called public engineering — emphasizing the interaction between society and technology.

The creation of a public engineer

Hadley Sikes is bridging the gap between engineering and public policy to solve big social problems at home and abroad.

April 27, 2017

MIT Professor Tyler Jacks, director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, recently testified before a U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing titled, “Federally Funded Cancer Research: Coordination and Innovation.” He is seen here presenting recommendations from the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel report to the National Cancer Advisory Board in Septem...

Tyler Jacks: NIH budget cuts would have “devastating” effects on progress against cancer

Koch Institute director advocates support for biomedical research in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

April 10, 2017

A high-magnification micrograph of an ovarian clear cell carcinoma. The images show, focally, the characteristic clear cells with prominent nucleoli and the typical hyaline globules.

New technology can detect tiny ovarian tumors

“Synthetic biomarkers” could be used to diagnose ovarian cancer months earlier than now possible.

April 10, 2017

A deconvolved wide-field fluorescence microscope image of human HeLa cancer cells, during late anaphase/early telophase, showing a lagging chromosome. If this fails to get into a daughter cell, it may lead to aneuploidy.

Study helps explain varying outcomes for cancer, Down Syndrome

Differences in chromosome number may underlie variation among genetically identical individuals.

April 6, 2017

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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